"We’re excited to debut the release of our first studio video filmed in 2022, and single available on select streaming platforms, “Black is Beautiful”, composed by Nicholas Payton, the title track of our upcoming debut album from the Black Is Beautiful Experience collective and Rhymshot recording label. Inspired by photographer and activist Kwame Brathwaite’s iconic portrait of his wife and original Grandassa Model Sikolo Brathwaite, this piece pays tribute to the legacy and enduring influence of the Black Is Beautiful movement and the pioneering Grandassa Models, a group of women who challenged and redefined beauty standards in the 1960s by fearlessly embracing natural Black beauty.

Featuring the powerful spoken word of Sikolo Brathwaite, this piece is brought to life by the extraordinary talent of Marcus Gilmore, a phenomenal Black woman-led ensemble and Brandee Younger who appears courtesy of Impulse! Records.

In honor of Women's History Month, we pay homage to the trailblazing Black women artists who used art and fashion as tools of empowerment and expression 62 years ago and laid the groundwork for future generations to celebrate Black beauty and heritage."

Nicholas Payton - Producer, Composer, Arranger, Trumpet, Bass, Rhodes
Marcus Gilmore - Drums
Featuring Brandee Younger - Harp - who appears courtesy of Impulse! Records
Chiara Fasi - Violin
Eric Cooper - Violin
Jessica McJunkins - Violin
Tia Allen - Viola
Vicente Archer - Bass


Executive Producer & Director: Brandon Baker